1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic recording medium, in which a recording layer is formed in a concavo-convex pattern, and convex portions of the concavo-convex pattern form tracks for recording magnetic data. The present invention also relates to a magnetic head for this magnetic recording medium, and a magnetic recording and reproducing device provided with the magnetic recording medium and the magnetic head.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a magnetic recording medium such as a hard disc has been significantly improved in areal density because of improvement such as fining magnetic particles forming a recording layer, material changes, and increased precision in the processing of heads. Also a perpendicular recording type of magnetic recording medium with higher areal density is being in practical use. In the perpendicular recording type of magnetic recording medium, a recording layer is oriented so as to have magnetic anisotropy in a direction perpendicular to surface, and furthermore a soft magnetic layer is formed under the recording layer to strengthen a recording magnetic field. Further improvement in the areal density is expected in the future.
However, problems such as limitations in the processing of the head, the erroneous recording of information on adjacent tracks to track to be recorded due to the spread of a magnetic field, and crosstalk have become evident, so that the improvements in the areal density by a conventional improvement method has reached their limitations. Thus, a magnetic recording medium such as a discrete track medium and a patterned medium has been proposed as a candidate for a magnetic recording medium which can realize the further improvement in the areal density (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 7-129953). In such a magnetic recording medium, a recording layer is formed in a concavo-convex pattern, and convex portions of the concavo-convex pattern form tracks for recording magnetic data.
In other words, recording the magnetic data on the tracks formed as the convex portions makes it possible to restrain the recording of information on an adjacent track, crosstalk between adjacent tracks, and the like.
The recording of information on the adjacent track and the crosstalk, however, are affected by the concrete structure of a magnetic recording medium such as the shape of tracks, and also affected by the structure of a magnetic head. Thus, it is impossible to certainly write magnetic data on only a track to be written, and to certainly read magnetic data from a track to be read, if the tracks are merely formed by the convex portions.